This is what we call a “poor man’s meal” in our house. Pasta, cold tomato sauce and a side of greens. It costs less than $10 total to feed my family of 7 AND it is so good. More particularly, this cold tomato sauce is incredible. And I already know what your are thinking…
Cold tomato sauce? That sounds kinda strange.
First, it is not a sauce you store in the fridge, it is a sauce your store on the counter, so it is not a freezing cold sauce. Second, it is so complementary to a bowl of hot pasta, you won’t even mind. Third, you will not care about temperature after you have tasted it. My guests have literally licked their plates after I serve this to them. It truly is that phenomenal.
Why Not Storebought Tomato Sauce?
Because it just isn’t as good. AT ALL.
Now granted, this recipe calls for either a can or jar of diced tomatoes. You can do this with your own homemade canned tomatoes or with store bought. Just make sure if you are getting them from the store, the only ingredients are tomatoes and maybe citric acid. Anything beyond that is not necessary and most likely not good for you.
Storebought tomato sauce also contains ingredients such as glucose, corn syrup, modified ingredients, synthetic oils and I have even seen some with red-40 in it. And do they really taste that good anyway?
This recipe uses beautiful ingredients that are affordable and easy to find! And it’s quick to make in advance. You got 2 minutes? That is more than enough!
Cold Tomato Sauce Ingredients
- Diced Tomatoes W/ Juice: I buy a bulk pack of these at Costco plus they are ornaginc. Make sure the label just says TOMATOES or is paired with CITRIC ACID. Anything more than that is not needed!
- Sugar: We use just a little here! It helps cut some of the acidity of this dish.
- Salt: Using sea salt, as usual.
- Pepper: Ground pepper adds some warmth to this otherwise very acidic sauce.
- Basil: Use dried or fresh here. I do prefer dry in the sauce itself and then top my sauce with fresh basil (or even rosemary!) when ready to eat.
- Oregano: Add a little smooth spice and depth of flavour easily with oregano.
- Garlic: If you do not have garlic, do not make this sauce. You MUST have garlic.
- Olive Oil: I use either a dark or light olive oil depending on what I have on hand. This recipe isn’t picky!
If you have a busy day ahead, make dinner simple! You can easily put together this sauce with only a few minutes in the morning. Once dinner time rolls around, boil your favorite pasta and serve with your sauce topped with parmesan. The longer this sauce sits at room temperature, the better the flavour!
How To Make Cold Tomato Sauce
This recipe takes minutes to put together, not even!
On those busy days, this is the recipe I lean towards knowing it will develop in flavour over the day to be a lovely sauce for dinner! If you need this sauce quicker, just be aware that if it can’t sit for at least a few hours, you won’t get as good of a taste. But, still very enjoyable.
STEP 1: MAKE THE SAUCE
In a bowl, combine all your ingredients. Stir well and cover. Keep on your counter until ready to use. The longer it sits, the better the flavour.
STEP 2: ENJOY
Pour your sauce over warm pasta and top with parmesan cheese. We like to serve the pasta plain in bowls and let everyone add as much sauce as they like on top!
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How To Store
Keep your sauce on the counter for 2 days in an airtight container. After 2 days if it still isn’t finished, stick it in the fridge for 7 days. But trust me, it won’t last that long.
If you enjoyed this recipe, be sure to share and tag me @sarahthereseco on Instagram and come back here to rate and leave a comment!
Cold Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 28 Ounce Can of Diced Tomatoes with Juice
- ยผ Teaspoon Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
- ยฝ Teaspoon Pepper
- ยฝ Tablespoon Basil
- ยฝ Teaspoon Oregano
- 2-3 Garlic Cloves Minced
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Instructions
- Combine everything the morning of, or about 6 hours before consuming, in a small bowl, mix and cover until ready to eat.
- Keep at room temperature and do not put in the fridge! It needs a warmer temperature for the flavours to develop properly!
- Pour over pasta and top with parmesan. Keeps 2 days at room temperature.
this is the BOMB!!
No, you are the bomb <3
Made this earlier today and I crushed two big helpings of it at dinner. It’s so yummy!